Daybreak
by kaleidoscope-dream
Summary: As Irie Shouichi sends the time-travelers home, things don't go to plan. Instead of going back to their shared past, they end up worlds apart. The question was: would they want to leave, when the parallel worlds tempt them to stay?
1. Prelude: As Fate Ordains

_Daybreak_

Summary: As Irie Shouichi sends the time-travelers home, things don't go to plan. Instead of going back to their shared past, they end up worlds apart. The question was: would they want to leave, when the parallel worlds tempt them to stay?

Warnings: There will be heterosexual and homosexual relationships in this story. Nothing explicit, but fair warning. As well as violence, possible gore, etc.

Notes: The prelude is basically a retelling of that last Future Arc chapter, but the first chapter is done and ready to go, so I'll be posting that soon.

Prelude: As Fate Ordains, Dearest Friends Must Part

Five hundred meters underground, the Vongola Family found they did indeed have a way to return home. To their own time, finally. A place they all longed to see again. The machine they were currently facing was the oddly shaped one that Tsuna had seen a dream, the same one that Irie Shouichi had undauntingly guarded. It was an immense structure, and the devices that riddled its body made Tsuna's head hurt just trying to figure out what did what and how it could possibly send them home. He let his shock show through when he practically exclaimed, "We can get back to the past using this machine? Really?" His hopeful eyes turned to Shouichi, who blushed under the attention and attempted a shy smile.

"Yes," Shouichi began, fiddling with his headphones nervously. "Orignally, the Ten-Year Bazooka can enable the target to stay in the future for five minutes, but this machine interferes with that. All we need to do is shut down the interfering signal. And now that the power balance among the _Tri-ni-sette _has been restored, the other dimensions should be stable as well." The shy smile from earlier turned a bit more proud and Tsuna looked away quickly to cover up his own embarrassment. His gaze fell on Reborn and Verde, the two standing nearly side by side. He still wasn't clear on why the rest of the Arcobaleno were here, but that question would no doubt answer itself soon. Instead, he focused on Reborn and the rigid stance his 'tutor' had taken next to the other not-baby. It was as if he was barely tolerating Verde's presence.

"So," Reborn drawled, "the reason we couldn't warp exactly ten years into the future was because the _Tri-ni-sette's _power balance was disturbed, causing the dimensions to become unsteady." For some reason, Reborn even made questions sound like solid facts.

"Don't tell me you just realized that now?" taunted Verde, his too big glasses slipping down his nose. Reborn twitched, probably restraining the sudden urge to pull out a gun. "Of course, there's no reason to worry about the returning time warp," the scientist continued. "This wonderful genius here will calculate the best time and place for your return."

Another twitch and then Reborn relaxed, a careful, assessing stare taking the place of previous annoyance. Tsuna wouldn't have noticed the difference if not for the months spent in close company with the miniature hitman. "Can we trust you, Verde?"

The scientist, for all his boasting, was quiet in that moment. His head was bowed, hiding his expression, as he mulled over what to say. Fascinated by the precariously hanging glasses, Tsuna didn't look away and waited patiently for the reply alongside Reborn. "I ..." Verde raised his gaze to meet Reborn's, straightening his glasses in the process. "... have a debt to repay," finished the scientist, a pained smile in place.

Reborn narrowed his eyes in consideration, and then he tipped his hat down and sighed. There was an unsaid _for Uni _in that answer, but he would let it slide and take Verde's admission for what it was worth. "Fine."

Meanwhile, Tsuna couldn't help but think: _These two give off some scary auras. Is it safe to be here? _"Ah, wait. Has everyone said their goodbyes to the people of this time yet?" Then he glanced around and realized how redundant he probably sounded. Not a soul for their return trip to the past was in sight, aside from Reborn and himself. Tsuna settled in for the wait ahead.

He just hoped Verde wouldn't say anything that would tip the metaphorical scale and cause Reborn to go trigger-happy.

-X-

"Are you going to start baseball again, when you get back to the past?" Squalo's glare said exactly how wonderful that idea sounded to him.

"Yeah!" Yamamoto Takeshi stated happily, hands behind his neck and face tilted skywards as he smiled. "I mean, I only said I'd stay true to the sword here in the future." A loophole Takeshi had seen and taken, because hey, who said anything about the past?

The expected, loud cry of, "Vooooiiii!" didn't faze the cheerful, baseball-obsessed boy in the slightest. "You fucking coward," Squalo spat out in obvious distaste. "You'll never be able to beat me as a swordsman. Never."

"Really? Who knows ..." Takeshi trailed off, still grinning like an idiot - which he was, Squalo thought, or the moron would be less inclined to baseball and more focused on swordsmanship.

Squalo had taken precious time away from his schedule to teach this ungrateful novice, and this was the thanks he got? There was going to be hell to pay and he was going to let that be known. Gritting his teeth, he demanded, "What did you just say?" Takeshi had the nerve to laugh, spurring Squalo's anger to greater heights. "Goddamn brats these days," he cursed, rubbing at his sore shoulder. "When I was your age, I was a damn good assassin." Takeshi let another chuckle escape at that, but this time, Squalo didn't take offense. Admittedly, that last line had come across as a little old fashion. He was, to his horror, getting up in age - and fucking brats like this would be at the head of the new generation. He didn't look forward to that. Not at all.

"Wait, you're leaving already?"

The long-haired Sword Emperor didn't bother to turn around. He was too busy sizing up the dive he was about to take off the cliff-side. He could make it. There was a branch half-way down he could use to slow his descent. Perfect. "Is there a problem, brat?"

"What about the others from Varia? Did Xanxus meet with Tsuna?"

"Are you kidding me?" Squalo finally looked back, a scowl dead-set on his lips. "If our boss sees Sawada, he'll kill him."

Takeshi didn't appear too impressed with that answer. If anything, he looked skeptical. "Is that so?"

Since the brat was too far gone in happy-happy land to be reasoned with, Squalo gave it up as a lost cause and took a step backwards off the cliff. "Later."

"Thanks for everything!" Takeshi shouted at the top of his lungs. Squalo's fleeting thought on that consisted of: _He should save his breath._

-X-

Bianchi placed a hand on top of I-pin's head affectionately as she addressed the other two girls in front of her. "Take care of yourselves." With an enthused, "We will!," to answer her, the Italian woman smiled. She didn't doubt that they had grown and matured during this excursion. They looked a lot different now than they did all those days ago when she first saw them: scared, trembling with confusion, and unsure how they could help the boys that were just as frightened and confused as they had been.

A quiet rustling of paper broke her out of her observation as Kyoko handed something to her, saying softly, "Um, could you give the future Hana a letter for me?"

She accepted the letter without a second of hesitation. "Of course." And then she promptly winced as a loud, "UGH, NOOO," was heard from down the hallway.

The group of girls, joined by the tall form of the future Fuuta, looked down the hallway curiously. Bianchi stated what they all were thinking. "I wonder what's wrong with the older Sasagwa."

Kyoko supplied a simple, "He's been acting strange ever since we came back." To which they couldn't disagree, the boxer's eyes were practically bugging out as he clasped both bandaged hands to forehead in absolute horror? shock? Regardless, there was a lot of emotion poring from the young man; it was almost painful to watch.

Meanwhile, inside of Ryohei's head, his thoughts were swirling with questions. _Should I at least have a word ... with the girl I saw standing next to me in that photo? _Out loud, he blurted, "But what should I extremely say?"

"Is he sick?" suggested Bianchi, an aloof expression settling over her pretty features. "Though I kind of think this isn't too unusual." After time-travel, rings that turned into animals, and flames lighting up the place everywhere, that about summed it up. They all agreed to leave the boxer alone to sort out whatever plagued him.

-X-

Scratching the skin under her eye-patch, Chrome wondered if the woman across from her was ever going to speak. So she took it upon herself. "You wanted to ... see me?"

"I'm warning you." The money-loving woman had her hands on her hips, serious and yet not as harsh as she could have been. "The only reason Mukuro is kind to you is because he is using you."

She didn't want to hear that, but it rung a little too true. Mukuro was the type of man who manipulated and besieged anything that stood in his way. But that wasn't the only part of him that she saw. No, as his stand-in, she had seen much more from him - more than anyone else.

"Once you return to the past," M.M. continued, "Mukuro will try to use you in order to free his past self from prison." Chrome looked down, hesitant, and M.M. sighed. "Don't get me wrong. I'm telling you this out of concern." And that part was genuine. She didn't want to see someone else fall prey to some of the things she had seen Mukuro force them to do. "He is a very fearsome person."

The girl glanced back up, an undecided glint to her one visible eye. "But I still -"

Both of them dropped the conversation when they felt eyes on them. M.M. didn't have to turn to guess who was there, and the next shout confirmed it.

"What are Miss Stupid and M.M. doing together, byon?" That moronic way of speaking could only be one person. "They're saying it's almost time!" _Well_, M.M. thought, _at least they had a good reason to interrupt girl talk_. But didn't that mutt know there were more tactful ways than shouting to get someone's attention? When she cast her eyes upwards, to the top of the stairs behind Chrome, she could see he was enjoying this, tongue sticking out teasingly. It was the expression on Mukuro's face that really grabbed her wandering gaze, though. She had never seen him with such soft eyes, and following his line of sight, she saw who exactly that look was intended for - the adoring girl he had known and the woman she would grown up to be one day. That look was for his other half, for Chrome. And her alone. A part of her was jealous, but she let it go with another resigned sigh. These two were good for each other. Maybe her words had been unnecessary.

-X-

"Kyo-san!" shouted a man with regent-styled hair, bowing his head low as he kneeled on the floor, hands on his thighs, back straight as an arrow. The young man he addressed left without a good-bye, a uniform jacket slung over his shoulder casually. There was no heartfelt words. No wishes of good luck. Just a pledge that Kusakabe Tetsuya would always be with this person, would be there to call him by name. Here and now, and in the past too, where this boy truly belonged.

-X-

Hunched down around a corner, Gokudera 'tch'ed as his sister called out to him. "What are you doing in a place like this, my one and only," he closed his eyes tightly, wondering what in the world she was getting at, "little brother." He let out the tight fit of air that he had held onto and almost laughed. He was still a bit giddy from the pain killers in his system. Thankfully he did not make a fool of himself, keeping his cool as he stood up, turning to face her head-on as soon as she rounded the corner. "Do you remember our promise?"

How could he forget? It had been his motivation on those long nights spent in the base's library. Trying, in vain, to work out what his future self had been able to achieve. Instead of being honest, he dismissed it. Because now, he didn't need to know. He had a family waiting for him. He had Tsuna. He had his sky, his whole world, to look forward to protecting. The past could stay in the past. "Huh?" he drawled, hands in his pockets as he slouched, easing the pain his back. "I don't need any souvenirs."

Bianchi gave a slight smile, holding up a loaded bag full of letters. Her eyes were playful behind the concealing goggles she wore, and she spoke just as tauntingly. "Yes, they exist in the past as well, so there's no need for you to take them. But I wanted to show you, nonetheless, so I went back to the destroyed base to retrieve them."

"What?" he exploded, unable to contain himself. Did she realize how risky that had been? "Just for that?" Observing the letters more closely, he realized who had been sending them. And who they had been intended for. Long before Bianchi explained. But his calculating brain couldn't keep up and screeched to a standstill. What did this mean?

"Our father wrote these letters to your mother." _Well, duh_, thought Gokudera with a healthy dose of sarcasm. The seal, the addresses, everything was staring him in the face like scattered puzzles pieces, asking for him to put them back together. "They're only a handful of love letters that he had been writing until the day your mother passed away in that accident."

His voice cracked as he uttered one word, "Father ...?" It still didn't make any sense.

"I know you think that the reason your mother died was because Father refused to marry your mother, and tore you apart from her ..." Bianchi closed her eyes, lowering the bag, apparently remembering the past almost as vividly as he did. "But the truth is, it was the complete opposite."

Shock settled into his heart, making him forget to breathe. He let out a gasp moments later, eyes wide. _It was Mom who turned down the marriage proposal. _Father had every intention of caring for the both of them - mother and son.

"Your mother had been very sick," Bianchi went on doggedly, lifting the bag once more for his perusal, hinting that the answers were hidden among the many letters. "She knew she didn't have long to live."

"What?" His voice escalated this time, and Gokudera bit his lip savagely to keep his thoughts to himself. He wanted to lash out with _he killed her he killed her he killed her_, but that wasn't right - it had never been true. His Father had actually loved his mother.

"Your mother," _Her name was Lavina! _he wished to scream, but he didn't and let her go on, "left you and Father because she thought she would only be a burden in her condition. Yet, Father continued to write to her letters, in desperate hope that the three of you would be able to spend time together again ..." Bianchi began to trail off, but she hardened her resolved and finished what she needed to say. "Her disease killed her before she fell from the cliff."

Gokudera held one of the opened letters close to his body, gripping tight enough to leave wrinkles on the already aging paper. "No way ... that's ... that's a lie." His usually rational brain was stuttering, unable to grasp the essential clue he was missing. It didn't make sense at all! All that he had believed to be true ... had been a lie? Why? Why had he wasted his childhood, cultivating his hate, if not for one day avenging his mother? He tried to come up with a excuse, and he eventually found one, "Because ..." but he couldn't utter it. The emptiness of what he had been about to say stopped him short. _Because Mom said she would visit that day. She promised! _But the dead could not uphold such promises.

"I don't expect you to understand now," Bianchi consoled him, "but just remember this." She paused, took a breath, and looked him square in the eye. "You were brought into this world, loved by both of your parents."

Gokudera no longer knew what to say.

"Gokudera-kun! Bianchi! Look out!" A loud crash and the sudden unstable ground made Gokudera flinch - though later they would tease him, saying he had jumped about a foot in the air.

"The hell, Mosca!" He put a bit more distance between him and the machine, shaking his head and still muttering obscenities. The only thing that distracted him from cursing the Mosca creation further was the appearance of Tsuna, running to him with worry shining in his eyes. And a dorky, goggle-wearing man followed behind the boy, tapping away at the laptop in front of him.

"Mm," the man mumbled, "the left thruster isn't working well."

"Tenth ... Spanner!" Admittedly, he had growled out that last bit, wary of having the mechanic around Tsuna. When he had learned the chafing on his friend's wrists had been from handcuffs, and Spanner had been the one to put them there, he figured his worries were based in fact. Cold, hard fact. There would be no repeat scenarios on his watch. "What the hell were you doing until now?" A logical question to ask since they hadn't seen the mechanic in quite a while, holed up somewhere doing his geeky, machine-obsessed thing.

Tsuna was the one to explain, gesturing wildly with a hand as he spoke, an amused smile radiating as brightly as the sun. "Apparently, he's been constructing an Anti-Byakuran Mosca all this time." The shorter boy's expression turned more bewildered. "You know how Spanner is ... he loses sight of everything else when he's dealing with mechanics."

Though he didn't look it, the man said, "Sorry," rolling the lollipop in his mouth nonchalantly.

-X-

"All right! Everyone here?" Irie Shouichi quickly took roll call with his assessing eyes, and then clapped his hands excitedly. "It's almost time, but first - I want everyone to leave their Vongola boxes here. Please remove them!"

Natsu, the little lion at Tsuna's feet, tilted his head and mewled. Then he shifted defensively in front of Tsuna, roaring his tiny, "Gawr!" As if to say, "I'm not going anywhere!" Tsuna bent down and scratched behind the lion cub's ears, sweating a bit as he nervously said, "It can't be helped, Natsu. We can't take box weapons back to the past, where they don't exist yet." His friends were having similar problems as Yamamoto was mauled by his Akita, Ryohei and his kangaroo exchanged teary good-byes as they embraced as comrades, Lambo patted the nose of his bull where he was currently riding, and Gokudera had crouched down as well, patting Uri's downcast head. "Stay well," he heard his Storm Guardian tell the cat.

Shouichi watched as each of the young boys and girls said their last farewells to the future. Colonnello didn't even try to duke it out with Reborn while he had the chance. Fon bowed and wished his student well. Basil and future Fuuta, left out of the last minute exchanges, discussed something that nearly everyone else had forgotten. "We never did find out who Uncle Kawahira was," the young CEDEF member mused.

"Yeah," Fuuta agreed, the upturn of his lips saying he might know a bit more than he was letting on. "Strange, huh?"

Before he forgot, Tsuna approached Lal Mirch, the one who had taught him the most here in the future, and held out his hand. "Thanks for everything, Lal!"

She easily dismissed him. "I only watched over you kids, really."

_She treats us like kids until the end_, Tsuna surmised, feeling a bit insulted on behalf of his friends.

"Become a great boss, Sawada." His reaction was immediate as he waved his hands uselessly in front of him, as if conjuring up a shield, the chant of _no no no no _persistent in his head.

"I told you I don't want to become boss!"

Lal, who had selective hearing apparently, whipped her head around, shouting, "Colonnello! Make sure you properly take them back to a peaceful past!"

"Of course I will, dammit," the blonde child-man told her. "These people saved our lives, after all!"

Behind him, a baby wearing a purple cloak with the hood up added, "I usually don't use my powers unless I'm paid, but this time, I'll make a special exception."

"Once it's over, I'll come back, Lal." On a full-grown man, Colonnello's smile might have been described as charming, but it was still downright adorable enough that even Lal was not immune, a bright blush coloring the strict woman's cheeks.

"Idiot!" she chided. "In a place like this ..."

"Okay, we're starting the time warp," Shouichi chose that moment to wrap things up and get the show on the road. "The Arcobaleno will return once they've finished sealing the Mare Ring of the past." A lapse of silence and then Shouichi spoke directly from his heart. "Now then, thank you ... for everything! Good-bye." Everyone stood in position and Shouchi lowered his finger to the button that would send everyone back where they belonged. "Time warp, start!" His inner geek had always wanted to say something like that. And after that, he pressed the button with as much glee as a child.

A white light flooded the room, encasing the group that stood on platform. In a literal flash, the boys and girls of the past were gone. Everything appeared to be going to plan. Then it happened. An explosion. Smoke everywhere. People were coughing, others were avoiding the debris and serious injury - and all the while, they wondered: _what happened to the kids? _Followed by, _would the Arcobaleno even return?_


	2. Chapter 1: Butterfly Effect

_Daybreak_

Summary: As Irie Shouichi sends the time-travelers home, things don't go to plan. Instead of going back to their shared past, they end up worlds apart. The question was: would they want to leave, when the parallel worlds tempt them to stay?

Chapter One - Butterfly Effect

When Tsuna next awoke, it felt like his head was ready to explode with pain. He immediately clutched at his forehead, hoping to ease the throbbing, but that failed. If anything, the pain increased the more he came to realize he was awake and Reborn wasn't anywhere in sight. The room wasn't very bright, thankfully, but it didn't feel right - it wasn't his room. He wasn't where he was supposed to be. That instinctive feeling that told him something wasn't right set his nerves on edge, ready for anything this strange place had to offer. Admittedly, the bed was soft, the covers were comfortable, but it would take a lot more than that to make him feel at home. And that was exactly where he wanted to be right now. What had happened? What had that bright flash of light been, and just where was he? Verde had promised everything would go as planned! Even more than that, he had trusted Shouichi. This wasn't the past he was hoping to awaken to, so what was going on?

The sound of voices outside the room made his blood run cold. They weren't familiar and that meant he was either captured or among people who had accidentally found his unconscious body lying somewhere it shouldn't have been and took pity on him. With the way Tsuna's luck had been going lately, though, he didn't have high hopes. Somehow, that wasn't what was bothering him the most. It was losing Reborn again that had him troubled. He had been through hell and back to have Reborn at his side once more - and then this? Tsuna let his head drop back onto the plush pillow behind him, giving up on thinking at all as he groaned aloud.

First things first, anyway: he needed to think of how not to get killed. The best way to do that, he figured, would be to pretend he was still passed out when the people attached to those echoing voices walked in. And that was exactly what he did when the door creaked open and the voices quieted down to mere whispers. Tsuna struggled to keep his breathing even and not let the pain overwhelm him when light streamed in from the hallway before the door was shut. It wasn't that bad, he told himself. After all, he had his eyes closed, but he could still feel the pressure - and his headache wasn't too accommodating. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his mind off the pain, but he wasn't sure that would work for long.

"He's not awake yet?" The person sounded disappointed, and Tsuna took a moment to mentally pat himself on the back - his ploy had worked. And Reborn said he was a horrible liar!

"Don't be fooled that easily. He's awake. The idiot thinks he can pretend in front of me? That's almost funny." Tsuna wasn't expecting the hand that reached down and pinched his cheek, so he let out a yap and opened his eyes before he even thought twice about it. He had to do a bit of a double-take when his eyes adjusted to the dim light, however. He couldn't be seeing correctly. The man before him was a spitting image of Reborn, if Reborn happened to be six feet tall, rather good-looking, and prone to pointing a fully-loaded gun at someone that had just regained consciousness. Well, actually, that last one really did sound like Reborn, but it was hard to connect the dots otherwise. Sure, there were the curly sideburns, the sleek Italian suit that probably cost a fortune, and the gun that looked similar to the one Reborn was always flashing about when he wasn't using Leon instead - but that didn't mean anything. By now, Tsuna had seen stranger things than a long-lost relative of Reborn's.

Rubbing his sore cheek, Tsuna asked, "Who are you?" He was caught unaware again as the Reborn look-alike placed the back of his hand against Tsuna's forehead. He abruptly realized he had a fever, because the man's hand was too cold for there to be any other explanation.

"He doesn't seem to be well. If you'll leave us for a moment, I promise to give you a full report on his condition soon."

The other man didn't appear willing to follow that veiled order. Then, reluctant as could be, the man nodded and left. Once the door had been shut with a decisive snap, the Reborn look-alike visibly relaxed and dropped the fake concern. "What have you gotten us into now, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna spluttered. "E-Excuse me?"

"Don't pretend!" growled the annoyed man, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache too. "I may look like this, but you know perfectly well who I am. Use that Hyper Intuition, brat."

"Reborn?" He didn't squeak, but it was definitely something close to it. "How ...? Why are you ...?" To be honest, Tsuna didn't know where to start, so he settled for something completely un-Arcobaleno related. "Where are we?"

Tipping his fedora back to better see Tsuna, the older Reborn was quick to begin his lecture, which started with, "Listen, and listen well - because we don't much time. You are going to pretend like you have amnesia. I will diagnose the condition as related to your fall, but you will have to take medicine for the fever or you _will _have mental damage." Reborn looked as if he had to hold himself back from saying, _Not that your brain isn't already damaged beyond repair.  
><em>  
>"Why do I have a fever in the first place?" demanded Tsuna, pressing his own hand to his head this time. It was scorching. "And why are you talking like you're a doctor?"<p>

"I have a PhD, for your information," Reborn managed to boast, "but let's not get into that. Here, in this world, I am your Sun Guardian. That means I am forced to see to your health." That appeared to rankle the man for some reason - and then Tsuna realized just what Reborn had said.

The boy let his mouth fall open. "Oh, not again."

"Yes, again." Reborn gave him a hard look, like it was somehow his fault they were in this situation. "Prepare yourself, Dame-Tsuna. Your acting skills better be superb." _Or I'll shoot you dead, _was left unsaid.

-X-

Gokudera let slip a small groan as he began to sit up, still seeing stars flashing before his eyes. Someone was rubbing his back in soothing circles as soon as he was steady, like his mother would do when he was sick. The gesture was kind and warm and he instantly thought, _Tenth_. He glanced behind him to confirm that, but he blushed as soon as he realized how close that meant their faces were at that angle. It was Tsuna, all right. He couldn't mistake those honey brown eyes, that soft-looking brown hair, but the clothes were different. Tsuna had been wearing a casual tee with an over-shirt and faded jeans when they left. Now, he wore the school uniform with the tie loosened and hanging coyly. The jacket had been wrapped around his waist and his sleeves were rolled up, as if he had been lounging around instead of attending school.

Bemused, he took in his own clothes systematically. Leather pants - that he realized were a little uncomfortable around certain parts - and a shirt that wasn't familiar. It had _kittens_ on it, for crying out loud. At least the long-sleeved shirt under it looked like something he would wear, but what was with the kittens? Had he fallen and hit his head? Risking another glance back at Tsuna, seeing the concern for him, it was very possible he had hit his head and done something strange like sleep-walk into the closest retail store. "Tenth ...?" He wasn't sure how to word his question exactly, but his friend seemed to understand and explained what had happened for him.

"You fell out of the tree," Tsuna said, an _I told you _so sneaking into his tone of voice. "Why didn't you listen to me?"

Okay. Rewind. What? None of that made any sense. Was logic and reason something that had been thrown out the window as of late? He had to wonder, at the rate he was going. "Er, why was I doing that again?" Had he dreamed up the future? Or was he dreaming now?

Tsuna waved a kite in front of him. It had been resting beside him the entire time, he realized. Huh. So they had been kite-flying? Together, alone. That sounded nice. This definitely had to be a dream. "You asked me to skip with you today, so I made an exception." Suddenly, Tsuna was too close, their noses almost touching as his friend straddled him, checking him over - Gokudera guessed for further injury. Then Tsuna leaned in and kissed him. _Kissed him! _Something was seriously wrong with his brain. That had to be it. Never had he imagined Tsuna kissing him before. This was a new height to his already unhealthy obsession. "I'm glad you're okay." Well, if that was how Tsuna expressed that particular emotion, he was free to do it again. He shook his head immediately, dispelling such thoughts. "Hayato?" Tsuna tipped his head up, considering him. "Are you okay? You're incredibly red."

"Um, yeah, fine." He hated how his voice went up an octave at the end there. "Can we ... can we go back to your place?" That seemed like the safest route. Find something familiar and go from there. Then he realized what he had just said. After being kissed. Oh. Oh _shit_. He hoped Tsuna didn't take that the wrong way. He met Tsuna's gaze and it was unfathomable, not giving anything away.

"Sure, no one's home. Maybe you need to rest." Tsuna kissed him again. Quick, a bare brushing of lips, and then he moved to stand. "Don't try anything funny, though. It was hard enough explaining that hickey to my parents. I don't want a repeat."

Gokudera had the unexplainable urge to dig a hole and fall into it. _I tainted the Tenth! Me! _Realistically, he knew Tsuna wouldn't stay innocent forever, but he had never imagined _he_ would be the one to take that innocence away. That offer of sleep seemed all too appealing. Perhaps, after a good nap, the world would start making sense again.

-X-

Yamamoto had lost his perpetual smile somewhere between blinding pain and groggy awareness. Cracking an eye open, he could vaguely recognize where he was, the outline of a baseball field unmistakable. The smell of sweat and chalk confirmed it. He was at school, playing the sport he most loved. There was a nagging suspicion in the back of his mind, warning him that something wasn't right, but he hoped - for once - his instincts were wrong. He hoped he was where he was supposed to be.

From where he was resting in the dugout, he watched the game unfold. His head was still ringing, but he managed to sit up, eager to catch a glimpse of his team. To reassure himself that everything was okay and he was just waking up from that blast from the future. A familiar mop of unruly brown hair caught his attention and he zeroed in on the boy that had just stepped up to bat. His posture could use some work, but he held himself with confidence. He swung his bat once - twice, breathed out the tension in his shoulders, and then locked his fearsome gaze of concentration on the pitcher on the mound. Yamamoto did a double-take. Since when was Tsuna on the baseball team? The uniform looked a little too big on him, the protective headgear valiantly trying to win the battle with his friend's hair, and there was something almost comical about how focused Tsuna had become. And this time, it wasn't to protect his friends. Tsuna was waging war for his team. Yes, Yamamoto knew the difference. He had made sure to never make that mistake again. His teammates at school weren't his friends, but his team. They shared a common interest, at most, but the familiarity did not extend off the field. They didn't know anything about him. He didn't know anything about them. But Tsuna was different. He knew a lot about Tsuna. The shy boy, the bullied boy - it was hard to relate that previous image to the current Tsuna, the one who seemed driven to win.

After the first swing - _strike! _the umpire called - his breath caught in his throat. Tsuna's form was beautiful. Not perfect, but it was attention-grabbing. That swing could have hit a clean grounder to second. He wondered why it didn't. Tsuna glanced at the dugout a moment later and Yamamoto understood. Tsuna was still Tsuna after all. Standing up, he gripped the metal webbing of the dugout and shouted, "Go for it, Tsuna!" A blossoming smile answered him and then Tsuna turned his attention back to the pitcher.

Yamamoto didn't take his eyes off him, fascinated. Had Tsuna always been this good at baseball? Or had he been practic - wait. That wasn't what should be bothering him. _What is Tsuna doing here? Is this really the past? _It felt more like a possible future. Yamamoto had been goading Tsuna to play whenever he could, but this - this was on a whole new level. That kind of form took years to cultivate.

"SAFE!" The call forced his thoughts to grind to a halt and he took in the changes to the field. Tsuna was on first. A senpai on third. The bases weren't loaded, but their opponents didn't take any chances. They let his senpai steal home in order to trap Tsuna between first and second. Yamamoto itched to be up to bat. He wasn't called a pinch-hitter for nothing. If Tsuna could clear this hurdle, he would need someone who could have his back. Yamamoto would always be that person. Except, in baseball, there was a line-up for batting. And the penalty for batting out of order was disqualification. He sighed and took a seat.

Out on the field, Tsuna slid onto second base, feet first. It took an agonizing long minute before the umpire declared, "Safe!" The opposing team jeered at Tsuna for being a favorite, but his friend was left alone as play resumed. He hadn't realized the lack of an additional batter warming up until the coach placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you ready to go out there?"

Immediately, Yamamoto said, "Of course!" Because he would not let this chance slip by him. His position was fourth at bat. It was time for some clean-up. _So Tsuna is third. The _heart_. Why am I not surprised?_

-X-

The noise was awful. So much yelling that even Ryohei was offended, and usually he loved such extreme people. "My ears," he moaned. Something brushed through his short hair, the motion gentle and soothing, and he realized the something was actually someone. The person was trying to distract him from the massive headache he had developed in the span of ten seconds. It wasn't uncommon, as his sport of choice was boxing, but it was definitely something different to have someone caring for him after the blow. Opening his eyes and praying it was a girl - the girl in the picture, to be specific - he was bemused to find it wasn't. Because it was Tsuna. "Why aren't you a girl?" he demanded.

The brown-haired boy had the nerve to look amused as he said, "I was born as a boy, senpai. Sorry to disappoint."

Brushing away the other boy's hand, Ryohei scowled. "I thought you were my extremely mysterious dream girl! Don't get my hopes up to the extreme like that, Sawada!"

Tsuna raised an eyebrow and replied dryly. "Next time I'll put on a wig and wear a maid outfit." At the stricken expression on Ryohei's face, the other boy out-right laughed. "I'm kidding, senpai! If you didn't have such a one-track brain, you would have realized that." He ran his small hand through the white, coarse hair of his senpai one more time before he gestured for Ryohei to sit up. "You didn't break anything when you fell, but that shiner on your face isn't going anywhere soon."

Confused, Ryohei touched his left eye, where most of the pain was centered. It would definitely bruise, tender to the touch and slightly swollen. "What happened?" he asked, though he could guess.

"You don't remember?" Worry evident, Tsuna leaned in, checking his eyes like he was a pro at this sort of thing - and then he held up three fingers. "How many fingers do you see?"

Ryohei held up three of his own. "Including mine? An extreme six!" It was a game he often played with the school nurse, especially after she grew extremely exasperated with his - rather frequent - visits. And if he could joke around, she was more likely to let him return to practice.

Appeased, Tsuna stood and walked to an open locker, retrieving a bottle of water and returning to give it to his senpai. "Here. Drink something." Plopping back down on the locker room bench, Tsuna stretched out, thoroughly comfortable. It wasn't familiar, this camaraderie between them. There had always been a sense of distance, like Tsuna was holding back. Ryohei let his gaze linger for a moment too long, and Tsuna noticed, giving him a quizzical look. "What? I'm not allowed to take care of the person I'm supporting with all I have?"

Ryohei nearly choked on the water. "W-What?"

"I'm calling the nurse," Tsuna decided.

-X-

There was a sharp pressure on his chest, and Lambo coughed, salt water coming from his mouth with a whole bunch of other nasty stuff. In a daze, the child blinked. Where was he? Where was Tsuna? He wanted Tsuna! Curling up into a ball and still coughing, Lambo could feel tears prickle at his eyes. But he was a man! Men weren't supposed to cry. Sniffing, he muttered, "Tol - er - ate," and wiped at his mouth. Someone was nearby, so he could just ask that person if they knew where Tsuna-nii was!

"Thank god," the girl breathed, reaching out and fluffing his hair in a fond way. She was drenched, water dripping off her baggy clothes that stuck to her like glue. Her long hair was a mess, tangled with seaweed and the occasional twig. But her large, amber-colored eyes were crinkled at the edges, genuinely happy that he was okay. Lambo liked her. Very few people looked at him, _really looked_, and fewer cared. He latched onto her, shivering, and belatedly realized he was just as drenched as she was. "I was so worried. I'm glad Reborn taught me CPR or ..." She trailed off as Lambo stiffened in her arms and she held him closer, shushing him. "Don't worry; you're okay now. You're okay." Over his head, he heard her call out to someone else. "How are I-pin and Basil?"

"They're fine," drawled an irritating voice that Lambo did not want to hear right now. "Is the brat all right?" Silent footfalls approached them and Lambo peeked through the girl's embrace to see his self-proclaimed enemy, a child no older than him - but far from it. Reborn was wearing a smirk, but there was a steely glint in his eyes that wasn't to be trifled with. "He's the first to wake up. Have him count to ten. It wouldn't do if he got even more stupid."

The girl protested that he wasn't stupid, but coaxed him into reciting the numbers as Reborn had demanded. Once he had passed that test, Reborn started the real interrogation. "Do either of you care to explain why I'm looking at a pair of drowned rats? Hm, Dame-Tsubame?"

Lambo frowned. Tsubame? Like the bird? He stared up at the girl, about to say something, when he noticed the blush. Curious, he wondered what had provoked it.

"Basil and I -"

Reborn cut her off, harshly. "You were what? Playing house? Having a lovey-dovey date? Be more aware of where you are. This isn't Japan."

Not Japan? Lambo struggled out of the girl's arms and turned to Reborn, wide-eyed. "We're not in Japan?"

The comment barely earned him a cursory glance from Reborn. "Perhaps he _has _lost a few brain cells after all."

"We're going to get sick if we stay here," pointed out the girl, Tsubame, as she gathered Lambo back into her arms. It was warm there, so Lambo didn't complain - much. "Can we finish this conversation back at HQ?"

A slight nod of the head answered her, but Reborn wasn't finished. "Don't think you're getting out of telling me everything," the tiny hitman warned. "You could have died."

The girl let her hair cover her face, which tickled Lambo's nose. "I know the risks, Reborn. But my life isn't - won't ever be solely about becoming boss."

Lambo sneezed and missed that last part.

-X-

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"Is the kid even still alive?"

"Shut up, and help me move this off him!"

It was getting too crowded for Hibari, but the crippling pain kept him from lashing out. He was near a construction site. A plywood beam had fallen on him. How this had occurred without him knowing, he had yet to figure out. This was nothing like the past he remembered. Movement from nearby caught his attention and he noticed a young boy struggling to lift the beam by himself. No one else wanted to approach, keeping a wary distance from the scene.

"Ugh, you bastard! Why did you push me out of the way?"

Hibari wouldn't admit that he was out of sorts, unable to grasp the situation properly, so he dutifully replied, "I can do whatever I want. I don't need permission from the likes of -" Then he realized who he was speaking to. It figured Sawada Tsunayoshi was involved. "Herbivore," he acknowledged, "you're wasting your time."

It wasn't anything new to see the younger boy panicking, but this was different - more controlled. "I don't need your permission," Sawada snapped, anger clouding his expression before he winced, a splinter lodged in his skin. He kept trying to push the heavy wood off, regardless. "Stop pretending to be cool and sit there quietly!"

Being ordered around wasn't something Hibari would ever tolerate. "You are weak, Sawada. Leave this matter to someone else." Between the pain-filled haze in his mind and the feel of many eyes staring at him, he reached up and pushed the other boy away. "My leg is the only thing trapped, you fool." He wasn't sure why he chose to ease the other boy's worry, but he was sure of one thing: it worked. Sawada stopped trying to help and simply looked at him, like all the others loitering around them. Curious, he took in his own condition. The beam had his leg thoroughly pinned to the concrete - but it had splintered. A piece had punctured his thigh and blood was everywhere. His only thought before he passed out was, "Don't you know it's rude to stare, Sawada?"

-X-

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _The unchanging sound filled the otherwise silent room before it stirred a reaction from the girl asleep on the bed, who awoke with a rustle of sheets and a gasp falling from her lips. Everything hurt! She felt like Ken had finally made good on his threat to use her as a punching bag. Reaching up instinctively, she meant to readjust the eye-patch she always wore, only to find her right eye wasn't covered by cloth but bandaged and taped shut. A sense of deju vu had horror pooling in the pit of her stomach.

She glanced around the unnaturally quiet room and noticed that yes, she was where she suspected. A private room in Tokyo's finest hospital. Just like that day over half a year ago. Except this time, her organs weren't damaged beyond repair. She could breathe and not feel as if she were about to die. And there was no illusion to provide this fantasy. The stark reality of the white walls, the drone of the machine checking vitals, even the wind drifting in from the slightly cracked window had her senses tingling with the belief this was real.

Beginning to rise, she pushed her protesting body up and against the soft pillows for support. Another sweep of the room with her good eye and she located the door to her right, hidden within a blind spot. She was glad the past was a relatively peaceful place or that could have given an enemy the chance to pop a cap in her. The thought of a bullet to the brain made her curl into herself, clutching her knees to her chest as she fought off the terrible ache within her. It felt like something was missing all right, but it wasn't her organs. There was an emptiness inside her mind where her bond with Mukuro should have been. Chrome had assumed their bond would have returned by now. She was back in the past! Where was he? Where was Mukuro?

"Stupid girl," she heard someone speak and her head shot up. She was hopeful and scared and a million other, indefinable things. "How could she risk her life for a cat!" When she realized it was her mother speaking, she let her head fall to her knees, suddenly listless. "It was a good thing she ran in front of a bike instead of a car or that child would be dead." Bemused, Chrome continued to listen. "This is all that boy's fault! If he hadn't given her that treacherous little thing ..."

The door to her room was opened soundlessly and her mother walked in, closely followed by her father. Her step-father. He didn't seem nearly as upset as her mother. Actually, he seemed to find the whole thing a bit funny. "Don't you think you're overreacting? Nagi didn't hurt more than her eye. The cat's safe at home. And -" His phone vibrated, letting him know he had a call. "And that's probably work trying to get a hold of me. Excuse me."

It was so familiar, so eerily similar to that day, but nothing was adding up. Lifting her head to watch the man her mother had remarried walk away, she wondered what it would have been like to really know these people. She had always isolated herself; from her mother's temper, from the people who talked of her late father's suicide, from the marriage her mother had fulfilled to a wealthy man. It didn't concern her, so she had tried to detach herself, to not feel anything. Back then, she had succeeded. Until she had grown attached to a kitten that had wandered into their backyard one day. It had been a stray, through and through, but she had liked to imagine the little cat always listened to her when she spoke of her day, of her worries and fears. No one else did, so the kitten was special, closer to a real friend than anyone else - back before meeting Mukuro, before meeting _Tsuna_.

A slap across her cheek broke her out of her reverie and she cradled her cheek, staring into the furious eyes of her mother. "Do you realize how worried we were?" Chrome did not see concern, only anger. "Your father took time off from work to come here! Why weren't you at school in the first place?"

If she thought back to the reason from that day, half a year ago, she knew it was because of bullying and how much she hated going to school. So she had skipped, and nearly died. Because her only friend had been a cat. "I got lost," she lied, bowing her head to hide her expression.

"And why were you chasing Chrome?" demanded her hot-headed mother. "Was she lost too?"

The first intelligent thing that came to mind was, "Huh?" Her eyes were as wide as saucers when she met her mother's gaze head-on. "What are talking about?"

"Chrome! The cat! What are you talking about, Nagi?" Her mother was starting to calm down, but she was still far from rational. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I-I'd like to rest a bit longer," Chrome decided to try, putting her faith in the fact that the door was wide-open. "Can we talk about this later?"

"When we get home," her mother agreed, temper simmering beneath the surface, "you will explain everything. From beginning to end." She then left as quickly as she appeared, closing the door behind her with a snap.

_Now_, Chrome thought, _time to escape_.


End file.
